Italian American (Jack & Mariella Book 2) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Jennifer Gordon

Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues… by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderfully detailed historical romance which kept me captivated throughout. Having met American Jack and Italian Mariella in the previous book I was keen to continue their journey, however you can happily read this as a standalone story. The storyline picks up nine years after Jack and Mariella’s fateful meeting in Rome, and now Mariella is ready to leave her beloved city to start a new life with her husband in America, but it means leaving her family behind. Having arrived in America Mariella has to cope with a disapproving mother-in-law and gossiping housewives, whilst Jack is working nights at the restaurant so she is not even spending time with him. Moving into their own house in Wanamassa Gardens is a new start for Mariella and she starts to settle into life in America and as their family grows the couple are hopeful for a better future. However, Mariella is soon called home to Italy having received a heartbreaking call, and once back she has to confront the decisions which led her to cross the Atlantic. Mariella struggles with having to say goodbye to her family for a second time but if she stays and does not return to America she will loose the life she always wanted with her husband and children. This really was a tale of “hope, sacrifices, and the unbreakable spirit of women who shape their destinies”. I was hooked throughout by this enjoyable, emotional and engaging story. Mariella and Jack are such likeable and relatable characters and I felt invested in their journey. The wonderfully detailed descriptive narrative brought the settings vividly to life whilst the added historical details transported me back in time. I felt fully immersed in the story and found it hard to put this book down!

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